Psy 1100 Signature Assignment

Signature Assignment

For my signature assignment I have decided to discuss our chapter nine and ten discussion. The assignment was to Imagine that the person you are now, could go back and have a conversation with the person you were when you went through puberty and entered your adolescent years. What would you say? What advice would you give? What advice would you give to your own parents about how best to parent you through adolescence? I have decided to choose this particular assignment, because I could have really used someone other than my parents to talk to for advice.  I like to be that person for others and share my experiences with family or friends that are going through puberty, and need someone to talk to. I think it is important for adolescent kids to be able to have someone to talk to. Chances are they don’t want to talk to their own parents.

 When discussing this topic I am reminded of a country song from Brad Paisley called “Letter to me”. The opening lyrics of the song say “If I could write a letter to me
And send it back in time to myself at 17”. After hearing this song I often wondered what I would actually tell myself if I were able to go back in time. I know there would be so much to say. If I knew what I know now, I might not be the same person not having to go through what I did and learn the things I have.

After completing this assignment I have realized how far I have come from that point in my life, and how much I have changed as a person. I remember thinking several times while going through puberty that life was so hard and I didn’t know how I would ever make it though.

Now as an adult I realize that the issues that I once thought were devastating are nothing compared to the issues I have now. Now being married I can’t rely on mommy and daddy to get me through hard times and I need to figure out how to fix the problems as an adult. I am so grateful for that time in my life because I know if I hadn’t experienced all life’s ups and downs I would not be the person I am today. I know I still have a lot of growing as a person to do but that’s life and I know now I can make it through anything.

For the discussion assignment I had mentioned two major things that I would make sure to tell myself going through puberty. The first thing is body image and trying to impress others around me with dressing in the name brand clothes, painting my finger nails to match each outfit and saying and acting in strange ways to get others attention. The second is family I now know how important family is and how after high school basically the only friends you have are your family. Rather than being embarrassed by your family you should be proud to show people where you come from and who helped you become who you are.

I know that everyone experiences some sort of body image issues. Looking back I remember that I always wanted to be the girl (like on tv) that would walk into the room, and everyone stops and admires them. Ideally every girl at that age is probably thinking the same thing, and no one really pays any particular attention. I wish I could go back and tell myself not to waste time worrying about what I looked like every day, but focus more on school and the real person I wanted to be. Rather than arguing with my mom every time we would go shopping  about me needing to get Roxy t shirts I should have been worrying about what I was going to do my science project on. I know now that if I would have paid more attention in class and worrying less about passing notes to friends, I may have learned more useful information that I could use today.

 I have come to realize that after high school the only people who really care about you is your family. My dad always told me that friends will come and go in my life and the only thing that would stay constant was my family. I never believed him because of course I knew everything, and because I thought I would never have to separate from my friends. I’m here to say that my dad is a smart man and knew what he was talking about. Now that I am married I have a small group of close friends and I find myself wanting to be with my parents more often than I ever thought I would. My family is everything and I wouldn’t trade them for the world. I know trying to explain that to that my adolescent self would be a nightmare but, I would at least try to explain that parents are there to help and if you just ask them for help believe it or not they will get you through rough times, such as puberty.

In the discussion I wrote “You will later understand that it’s the person inside that matters in life’. I know this is true because I judge a person by the way they treat others and if have a big heart. In life it’s not the name brand on your shirt but the size of your heart.

Psy 1100 Final Reflection

Staci Alvey                                                                                                                           
Psy   1100-045
Laura Fields
7-25-2012

Final Reflection

            When I first learned that psychology was a required class, I no idea what to expect or what exactly I was going to learn. To be completely honest, I figured it would be one of those boring required classes like math. Come to find out it was anything but boring. I will be able to use what I have learned in my personal and professional life. The career I have chosen to pursue deals directly with people. By taking this class I now have a better understanding why people do what they do. As well as having a greater understanding in the development process of life.

            Starting from the beginning of the book, I have learned that an average person is born with forty six chromosomes. Females have the xx chromosomes, males have xy chromosomes. A person’s sex depends on whether the fathers y sperm or x sperm fertilizes the ovum. I think that it is interesting that children of low income parents have a higher chance of becoming obese. In chapter eight I learned that I come from a blended family because my parents are divorced and have been re married and I have stepsiblings and one half sibling. I found it interesting that teenage pregnancy has decreased. These are just a few examples of things I have learned throughout the course of this class.

            As a student I learned that I need to use more details when explaining what I have learned, to really show what I know. I feel like the online class has taught me some discipline because I had to push myself to complete all the assignment in a timely manner.  This class was

very organized and I hardly ever had any questions, because all assignments were very clear. I appreciate the fact that I was able to ask questions if needed, and I would have a response in an appropriate time. I really liked the fact that you can read what others about have posted. I find it interesting to hear others opinions. Also by being able to see what others posted I was able to use their ideas to spark more of my own ideas.

            I will be able to use what I have learned in my current job. When dealing with the elderly it is important to remember that they aren’t as energetic and flexible as they once were. It is important to encourage them to do range of motion exercise and mental exercise to help keep their mind and body strong.

It has been fun sharing information with my sister (who is pregnant with her first child) on the fetal development process starting from the germinal period all the way up to birth. I enjoy sharing information that people may not know such as, a baby doesn’t develop its hearing until the last trimester. One day I plan on having a child of my own and it would be helpful to know what to expect in such an amazing time.

I have enjoyed this class much more than I thought I would have. I would recommend this class anyone who is interested in the human mind and development, as well as others who are seeking a profession in the health world. I will take many things that I have learned in this class and apply it to my everyday life.

           

           

HLAC Health Wellness

I had never realized how physically unfit i was until i took this class. I started calculating the amount of time spent excercising, the amount of calories i had been consuming . Also the amount of fat and the amount of empty calories. This class has given me a better understanding of being physically fit. Not just phsyical but mentally and , spirtitually. I have learned new things that i will be able to use in my daily life and continue to learn more about  having a healthy life style.

I think evertyime i eat something i will think about all the calories i will be taking in and the amount of fat, oils, and sodium. For the  track your meals assignment i learned so much and have been telling friends and family to track their meals and many of them were surprised to see how many calories they had consumed. I like to share what i have learned with people around me. My husband an i have been changing our eating habits. We plan to eat better,  excersise more and be lazy less.

I have decided that i need to do more physical activites and  continue in a healthy direction that will keep me  fit for life. I know the importance of being fit and the effect it has on your body. I would like to take what i have learned from this class and use it in my work life. I work with seniors and i now know the importance of how they can benefit for daily excersise and how it can prevent their bodies for becoming more weak and having muscle weakness.

I really enjoyed this class. I am very busy between work and school i liked the fact that i could do a few assignments on my down time here and there, and i didn’t feel over whelmed. The assignments were very informative and i had to actually get out there and be active.

Communication Reflective Assignment

Communication Reflective Assignment

When I was given the assignment to interview someone in the profession that I will be pursuing I had mixed feelings. I knew that it would be very informative and that I could get all my questions answered.

When I was given the assignment to interview someone in the profession that I will be pursuing I had mixed feelings however I thought I might be nervous interviewing someone I didn’t know.

To overcome the anxiety I had, I took a lot of time trying to think of the right questions. Questions that I felt were appropriate and would not make a person uncomfortable. After ready through all my questions and even re writing them. I discussed the questions with my dad and hoped to get another view and opinion. After reviewing the questions I had a practice interview with my dad and he was able to tell me what I needed to improve on and gave me pointers. After having finished the practice interview I felt much better and was ready for the real thing.

Because Jamie came into my work on a daily basis I was able to ask her when she had time to answer some of my questions. I chose to interview her because I didn’t know her and thought I would have a better chance of having a more realistic interview. She works as a registered nurse and that is on of the careers I have been thinking about.
The questions I asked her were questions that I kept thinking about. As a student I feel that I have several questions that may persuade my career choice. These were the questions I knew I wanted to ask. After the interview I feel like I have a better understanding of being a nurse and I feel like maybe this is not the career I want to pursue. After hearing some of her stories I realized that maybe I wouldn’t be able to handle working as a nurse.

I have learned that being a nurse means being able to have an awesome feeling of accomplishing things as well s helping someone feel better. That to me would be very rewarding. Also nurses get paid great and let’s face it that is important when preparing for your future.
I now feel more comfortable when having to interview people and know to relax and not worry. Also being professional as far as dressing for the part and being prepared helped the process to go smoother.

Hopefully in the future I will be able to do more one on one interviews. I would tell anyone that was going to interview someone the being prepared and going over the interview before will help the interview go more smoothly. Also adding small details like offering water bottles or even opening the curtians will make a huge impact on making the person you are interviewing more comfortable.

Professional Career Interview

As of now I keep bouncing back and forth between becoming a Nurse or a Radiologist. I work at a nursing home, so I am constantly around nurses. I decided I would like to interview someone I didn’t know, because I figured I would take this interview more serious, and I wouldnt be as laid back. I would also like to be a hospice nurse if that is the field I pursue. At work one day I stopped Jamie in the hall and introduced myself, and explained that I am going to school to possibly become a nurse, and for a class I needed to interview someone in the nursing field. She was so excited to help and knew exactly what I was doing and was willing to meet me that Friday when she was done with her patients. I thanked her for her time and later asked my boss if I could take a few minutes to interview her. He agreed and I began to prepare my questions.

           

When planning my interview I thought of all the questions I had that I felt would be helpful when pursuing my career. I knew it would be helpful to first ask all the questions to help me through school, regarding the amount of schooling, the degree needed, the exams needed, and the skills needed to be a successful nurse. After thinking of all the school related questions, I thought of questions I wanted to know about working as a nurse. I knew that I wanted to remain professional and courteous so I wanted to make sure that all my questions were appropriate and would not make her uncomfortable.

My job requires me to wear scrubs daily and I felt that scrubs weren’t appropriate for the interview so minutes before the interview, I was able to change into some nice slacks and a nice button down shirt.  I felt I dressed appropriate for the current setting. I arranged to meet with Jamie in our conference room and before the interview I made sure it was clean and even brought a few bottles of water to offer her.  I also opened up the curtains to let in some light.

When it was time for the actual interview she had told me  that she was going to be late and asked where she could find me when she was done. She was very apologetic and thankful that I was willing to wait for her. I reminded her that she was the one taking time out of her day for me and I was very thankful for that. Upon arriving in the conference room I asked her to sit where she would like and offered her a water bottle. She was very thankful for that because she had been so busy.

I started the interview by thanking her for her time and explained how thankful I was that she was kind enough to take time out of her day for me. Again I introduced myself and explained that I had twenty questions to ask, and that I would be taking notes after she had answered. She said that was completely fine and was very understanding, having had gone through school in years prior. The interview went very smooth, I felt very comfortable and could tell she was relaxed in the current situation. She was very helpful at answering my questions and was very informative.

After the interview I shook her hand and thanked her for her time. I asked if she wouldn’t mind filling out my feedback form and sending it back to my teacher at the address on the envelope. She laughed and said would you mind if I fill it out this weekend, and bring it back to me Monday because she said she might forget to put it in the mail, and didn’t want me to get a bad grade. I said that would be fine and again thanked her for her time. As she was leaving she gave me her boss’s business card and said to call him when my school was complete, and she would put in a good word for me. The next day I saw her at work and handed her a thank you note and again thanked her for her time.

Overall I feel that the interview went great and I felt comfortable throughout the entire interview.  I felt like the questions I asked were helpful for me and I can really use the information that she has given me for the future. This has been a great experience for me to help me decide what career path I would rather take.